The Chicago Blackhawks have made a few additions this off-season in what has been a pretty quiet summer for them. One of their moves was bringing back old friend Sam Lafferty, as they acquired him from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick back in July. This marked the third time that the Blackhawks have traded for Lafferty.
Lafferty is coming off a tough 2024-25 season with the Buffalo Sabres, as he had just four goals, three assists, and a minus-15 rating in 60 games. Overall, the 2014 fourth-round pick simply struggled to find his fit with the Sabres, so it was not particularly surprising to see Buffalo trade him this off-season.
While Lafferty had a rough year with the Sabres in 2024-25, he still has the potential to be a solid addition to the Blackhawks' roster. He played some of the best hockey of his career during his first stint with the Blackhawks and cemented himself as an NHL player in the process. He had his most success in Chicago during the 2022-23 season, as he recorded 10 goals and 21 points in 51 games before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2023 NHL trade deadline.
This was not the only solid season Lafferty has put together during his NHL career, though. Just back during the 2023-24 season with the Vancouver Canucks, the gritty forward scored a career-high 13 goals and recorded 24 points and 191 hits in 79 games. If he can get his offense back to these levels for the Blackhawks while maintaining his heavy style of play, he will end up being a very solid addition to the Blackhawks' bottom six.
Nevertheless, it is going to be very interesting to see what kind of season Lafferty can put together for the Blackhawks in 2025-26. Bringing him back was a low-risk move for Chicago.
Blackhawks Still Have Important Move To MakeThe Chicago Blackhawks have not had as busy of an off-season as they did last summer, but they still have made some moves. They improved their overall depth, as they brought in players like Andre Burakovsky, Sam Lafferty, and Dominic Toninato. They also made a significant move when they signed Ryan Donato to a four-year, $16 million contract extension back in June.
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